NRBQ Tiddlywinks LP

TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the May/June 2023 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Over a decade into their career, NRBQ entered Bearsville Studios and recorded their eighth album. The lineup featured Terry Adams (keyboards), Joey Spampinato (bass), Tom Ardolino (drums) and Al Anderson (guitar), plus The Whole Wheat Horns (Donn Adams and Keith Spring). The end result was Tiddlywinks, which contained the singles "Me and the Boys" and "Never Take the Place of You." It immediately became another fan-favorite NRBQ classic album and provided an entry point for a new audience to come on board, as "Me and the Boys" garnered repeat airplay on radio stations across the country.

Now, over four decades later, Tiddlywinks returns. This time, four bonus tracks are added to the mix: "I Don't Think Of..." and "Big Goodbyes" - recorded during the Tiddlywinks sessions and released on 1983's Tapdancin' Bats collection, plus the radio and TV spots originally issued on the flip side of the "Never Take the Place of You" 7" single.

Featuring updated artwork and liner notes from original engineer Tom Mark (who had worked with the band on At Yankee Stadium), the Tiddlywinks experience is now complete. From Mark's liner notes: "Working with those guys was such a pleasure. We always had fun. Four amazing musician/writers really listening to each other, what else do you want? Thank you, NRBQ."

It's time to stop playing games, and grab some Tiddlywinks!

An eclectic package ranging from rockabilly ('That I Get Back Home') to quirky rhythm 'n' blues ('Hobbies') and perfect pop confections (Al Anderson's 'Feel You Around Me' and 'Never Take the Place of You'), with nods to jazz ('Music Goes Round and Round') and to the Everly Brothers ('Beverly'), Tiddlywinks is the best NRBQ studio album to date. The catchiest tune here, Terry Adams' driving 'Me and the Boys,' was famously covered two years later by both Dave Edmunds (D.E. 7th) and Bonnie Raitt (Green Light), though NRBQ's version reigns supreme.